A Sunday at Sunset Ridge
Two worship services and a wide-open formation hour make up the rhythm of Sunday mornings at Sunset Ridge Church. At 9 AM, the a cappella service fills the Chapel in the courtyard: voices only, led by song leaders, with the service usually wrapping in about an hour. At 11 AM, a worship band leads the Sanctuary service, with a mix of familiar and original songs and lyrics projected on stage monitors so newcomers can follow along. That service also runs about an hour and finishes close to noon.
Both services move through the same elements each week: singing together, reading from Scripture, a sermon, prayer, and communion. Communion is shared every week, and everyone is welcome to participate, including children and those still figuring things out. The Sanctuary entrance sits at the northwest corner of the property, while the Chapel entrances open off the courtyard.
Between services, at 10:15 AM, the church opens a formation hour with classes for all ages: nursery, elementary, middle school, and adults. Visitors are welcome but not required to attend, and for those staying between services it is a natural way to go a little deeper and meet people. People dress in everything from jeans to Sunday best, and newcomers are encouraged to come as they are.
The Campus Beyond the Sanctuary
Sunset Ridge is more than a church. It is an entire campus woven into the life of the Terrell Heights neighborhood, and the Sunset Ridge Collective, the church's missional nonprofit arm launched in 2021, oversees most of what sits outside the sanctuary doors. Most parking sits behind the building on the north side of campus, with additional parking on the southwest corner next to One Another Coffee, a popular first stop for visitors.
Across the street at 291 Emporia Blvd sits Charis Park, a one-acre green space that was once one of the church's parking lots. Now overseen by the Sunset Ridge Collective, the park features a wheelchair-accessible circular walkway, a pavilion and community table, outdoor games, a meditation garden with a green labyrinth, native plantings, and a pollinator garden. Scott's Pizza trailer sets up on-site Thursday through Sunday. On a regular Friday each month, the park hosts Full Moon Friday evenings with live music, face paint, a sound bath, and food and drink vendors.
One Another Coffee, a coffee trailer at the main entrance to campus, serves coffee and pastries, and every purchase supports Charis Park. San Antonio's only regenerative farmers market takes over the park every Saturday from 9 AM to 1 PM, shifting to 8 AM to noon in summer, drawing local farmers and ranchers whose offerings vary with the harvest. On the second Saturday of each month, the campus gathers for Second Saturday, a morning of donation-based yoga, children's storytime and crafts, and special treats at One Another Coffee.
Sprouts School, a non-religious nature-based preschool for children from 6 weeks to age 6, is a partnership between Sprouting Curiosity Collective and Sunset Ridge Collective. Its primary school serves children ages 3 through 6 from 9 AM to 2 PM, with 2-, 3-, and 5-day options, and an Early Learners program covers children 6 weeks through 2 years, with extended care available. A coworking space on campus welcomes independent creatives, social entrepreneurs, and small mission-driven teams, with gigabit internet, printer access, and a kitchenette and break room; coworking members receive priority enrollment for their children at Sprouts School.
Forming Faith at Every Age
Children, 6 months through 4th grade
Free nursery care is available for children ages 6 months through 3 years during both worship services and the formation hour. During the 11 AM service, children in pre-K through 4th grade are invited to Wonder-Full Chapel, a special time of worship designed for them. They sing, pray, hear The Sacred Story, ask questions, share prayers, and receive a blessing before returning to the sanctuary to join their families for communion. Check-in runs from 10:45 to 11 AM and includes a snack. Becky King, the Children's Ministry Director, is glad to walk new families through their first Sunday. Children are always welcome to stay with caregivers in either worship service, including for communion.
Youth, 5th through 12th grade
Middle schoolers in 5th through 8th grade have their own formation class at 10:15 AM on Sundays, meeting by gender for discussion-based time in Scripture. On Wednesday evenings during the fall, they gather for Joyful Noise, a music-making program led by music educator and choir director Bethany Hill. Students sing, play drums, share their stories, and explore Scripture together; no musical experience is required. High school girls meet at 5:15 PM on Wednesdays to study the previous Sunday's sermon passage, and the broader high school youth group, led by Pastor Den Slater, runs from 6:00 to 7:30 PM in conversational Bible study and open discipleship. The church also runs a Vacation Bible School each summer, most recently themed around the Fruit of the Spirit and open to rising kindergartners through 5th graders.
Adults
Sunday morning adult formation at 10:15 AM in the Fellowship Hall centers on a BEMA Discipleship Podcast discussion group, exploring Scripture through its ancient Jewish context. Discipleship Groups of four to six people meet throughout the week for Spirit-led study, life together, and mutual support. A Men's Study Group led by Pastor Scott Heare meets on Tuesdays at 7 AM and again at 9 AM. The Women's Stitching Circle gathers on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month from 10 AM to noon in the Fellowship Hall, open to anyone who creates with needles, hooks, threads, or yarns. Each year, the women of the church also come together for an overnight retreat of rest and renewal.
Wednesday Nights at the Ridge
Twice a year, for 12 weeks each in the spring and the fall, Wednesday nights bring the whole congregation together. The evening starts at 6:00 PM with a catered supper in the Fellowship Hall, followed by church-wide announcements. At 6:30 PM, programming breaks out by age: nursery care, children's classes, Joyful Noise for middle schoolers, the high school youth group, and adult Scripture study or Discipleship Groups. Everyone wraps by 8:00 PM. For many in the congregation, Wednesday nights are the easiest way to find a footing midweek and stay connected to the people they worship with on Sundays.
The Sunset Ridge Collective
The Sunset Ridge Collective is the outward-facing, missional arm of the church, a nonprofit established to oversee the park and activate the campus for the flourishing of the neighborhood. The Collective's conviction is straightforward: the church belongs to its neighborhood. Through Charis Park, the farmers market, One Another Coffee, Sprouts School, and the coworking space, the campus has become a place where the wider San Antonio community is welcome, not just on Sundays. For many neighbors, the Collective has been their first point of contact with Sunset Ridge.
What They Believe
Sunset Ridge describes itself as a Christ-centered community grounded in what it calls the "extreme center," a countercultural commitment to life beyond the political polarizations that so often divide the wider world. Rather than aligning with political ideologies, members seek to be shaped by the way of Jesus, who welcomed outcasts, challenged power with love, and built bridges where others built walls. The church's life is organized around four core pillars: Radical Hospitality, Spirit-Led, Sacred Creativity, and Incarnational Community. These values shape worship, teaching, and how the congregation serves its neighbors.
Leadership on the Ground
The pastoral team is led by Scott Heare, who serves as Pastor with a focus on adult ministry and the Men's Study Group, and Den Slater, who serves as Pastor of Belonging and Formation, with responsibility for adult formation, Discipleship Groups, the high school youth ministry, and midweek programming. Hunter Bates leads worship across both Sunday services. Becky King directs the children's ministry, and Bethany Hill leads Joyful Noise on Wednesday evenings.
Two lay groups share governance. Trustees attend to administrative, fiduciary, and property matters. Shepherds work alongside the ministers in pastoral care, checking in with people in the community, organizing meal trains, and coordinating other expressions of care.
A Neighborhood Hub for 77 Years
Sunset Ridge Church has called this corner of Terrell Heights home for 77 years. From the a cappella service in the Chapel on Sunday mornings to Joyful Noise on Wednesday evenings, from the morning coffee line at One Another Coffee to Saturday mornings at the farmers market, the rhythm of the place stretches well beyond Sunday. Recorded Sunday services are posted weekly to the church's YouTube channel, and the office can be reached at 210-824-4568 or hello@sunset-ridge.org.